Congress Must Move on Canada-US Oil Pipeline

E-mail to Rep.Neugebauer:

Pres. Obama has just scuttled the proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the US. The expected advantages to the US were a large number of US construction jobs and availability of low-priced oil in the US.

Why would Pres. Obama scuttle such an obviously advantageous program? There are several considerations, all of which are of importance to Pres. Obama. A low crude oil price in the US would give lower gasoline prices. This would be disadvantageous to Pres. Obama's personal program of converting the automobile industry into electric vehicles. Low-cost energy would foster the general economy of the US. This could be disadvantageous to Pres. Obama's program to redistribute wealth globally. We have previously pointed out that environmental groups in the US have been taken over by Communists, who also support global redistribution of wealth. Environmentalists are also large contributors to Pres. Obama's reelection campaign. Environmentalists use devious mechanisms, such as spotted owls, snail darters, and now possible contamination of aquifers in order to stymie any economic growth in the US.

In scuttling the pipeline proposal, Pres. Obama only indicated a postponement. However, the Canadians realistically said they would follow a different route of oil export to China. Once that is set up, the US will be on the outside looking in.

As implied above, Pres. Obama's stated excuse was possible contamination of a drinking water aquifer. An aquifer is an underground layer of permeable rock, gravel, sand, or silt which can contain and through which water can flow. For example, Lubbock is at the terminus of the Ogallala aquifer, which originates in Colorado and allows water to flow underground from melting snows and rains in Colorado. There is no such thing as a drinking water aquifer. Aquifers can become contaminated with pollutants, similar to what can happen in lakes and streams, but usually the aquifer size is so great that pollution is generally insignificant. In addition, the underground layer of permeable rock etc. is usually so broad, in relation to the diameter of a pipeline, that even a burst pipeline would have little effect on aquifer contamination. This is especially true when it would be obvious to pipeline operators that not repairing a significant pipeline leak will cost them a significant loss in oil revenue. Another comparison is that even in the design of the human body, a potential pollutant pipeline in the form of intestine passes through areas close to vital organs, such as heart, kidneys etc. without difficulty.

For various reasons, Pres. Obama has scuttled this pipeline. It may not be too late to resurrect it, but the longer we wait, the more difficult will be a reversal. Congress should not accept this obvious opportunity to increase jobs and improve the general economy of the US. Congress should take some action now, against Pres. Obama and the Department of Energy or whichever agency is ostensibly responsible for this atrocity.

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